(Cleveland, OH–January 15, 2021) Marsha A. Mockabee, President & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland (ULGC), proudly announced the launch of My Brother’s Keeper Greater Cleveland Chapter to support boys and young men of color in our community, in partnership with My Brother’s Keeper Ohio 2021. Joining the League as funding and planning partners are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Foundation.
“We know there is a great need for our young people today with COVID-19 impacting the way in which they are going to school and experiencing interaction with their peers. Co-chair Reverend Stanley Miller and I are happy to be in this partnership to bring vital additional programming to our area,” says Marsha A. Mockabee. “But on this birthday of our beloved Dr. Martin Luther King, we also have a dream…one that provides for the same kind of support and empowerment for girls and young women of color in our communities. This dream will be realized through a collaboration with Saving Our Daughters and Students of Promise. So, as our birthday present to Dr. King, we have reached out to partners and knitted together a web of resources to support young men and women in our community to be all that they can be.”
“The My Brother’s Keeper initiative of Greater Cleveland presents an amazing opportunity for our young people that is destined to have a positive, life-changing impact,” added Bob Ivory, Program Director for Students of Promise.
Since 2018, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland has focused on building structured career pathways at the high school level under their Project Ready banner and curriculum. Project Ready prepares African American and other historically underserved youth for college and careers. By partnering with the Ohio MBK, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland will align its programming activities to specifically target African American males in high school.
Darlene Toney, Program Officer, Youth & Human Services, Cleveland Foundation, values her collaboration with the ULGC and Senator Sherrod Brown’s office. “We are excited to be a funding partner with My Brother’s Keeper Greater Cleveland and Saving Our Daughters and Students of Promise. It is so important now more than ever within our communities that we provide all of our youth with mentors that look like them and understand their unique challenges.”
Mockabee added, “My Brother’s Keeper Greater Cleveland may sound familiar to some, but it truly will be different in the way it will be experienced. The services we are bringing in 2021 will help our youth get re-engaged, re-invigorated and re-connected to our community. The ULGC will leverage its 20+ year history of partnering with school districts throughout Greater Cleveland to help form structured career pathways in the industries of Construction, Healthcare, Information Technology, Financial Services and Cosmetology. Stay tuned for more information on recruitment and program specifics.”
“The Cleveland Cavaliers organization is proud to partner with the Greater Cleveland Urban League as an active sponsor in supporting My Brother’s Keeper and Saving Our Daughters’ programs. Supporting our youth is a core value for us and we look forward to leveraging our people, our assets and our facilities across our entire organization to help advance the important and impactful mission, goals and positive outcomes that this effort and group brings to our community,” says Kevin Clayton, Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Each of the 11 Ohio MBK Chapters currently operating have their own unique focus and provide weekly instruction and programming for students. U. S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s office, in conjunction with Ohio State University, is collaborating to supplement this programming and provide enriching opportunities for students to gain exposure to various career opportunities as well as self-empowerment and advocacy tools.